I think someone here had a clever solution for this a while back but I’ll be doggone if I can find it. Anyone? I might can squeese in a short FU box (the 8 inch).
Thanks for any help.
Nearly EVERY longboard boxed board will show some stress lines at the front of the box, broken several there myself, at my own factory I used to sand down the boxes and cap over every one, big glass shops just can’t and won’t take the time to do it.
There is the chance of resin drippage inside, having someone capable to route them out and bevel the edge at the end so the fin won’t snag on the cap and peel it loose.
Ofish’l, if the fit fins correctly, is the best way to get a glassed over box
capping the box set the care in construction to a higher level.
this is one example of a finer crafted surfboard .
repaired a board made by a friend some time back
it had a cut lap,the entire perimiter of the deck on the cut
had tiny shatters and air and discoloration
these are prime examples of higher regard
for construction and questionable execution
of process,this is what sets the finest
constructed boards apart from good try-also rans…
well made boards have the opportunity to get old.
questionably made surfboards will be repeatedly
repaired. poorly made boards will become strata
in an archeological excavation.
Kudos to all the well made surfboards and their makers,
they live beyond their years in examples of their fine work.
…ambrose…
as for the rest
better next time?
reveal yourself
through your work.
Depends how much “too thin”, Greg.
On my own performance and on occasion a customers board, the tail will be too thin at the rear for a full depth box route. Rather than have the entire box sticking up before sanding, stagger the route, I go as deep as possible at the rear (sounds dirty doesn’t it), then place an insert against the rear of the template and route again until I am against the deck of the board. Wider inserts allow for more depth as you move forward, you can get it to full depth at the front of the box, with only the rear portion sticking out very much, or shim under the back of the router template to raise it up
How thin is too thin? You need an inch at the back of the box. Where are you setting your fin box? Six inches? 51/2" OR 5''. Jims method will help prevent routing thru to the deck. How far forward you set the box will determine if you have enough depth. If there is no room to play with and all else fails; Put a glass-on on it.
I have actually on purpose routed through the deck at the rear, ground off the exposed portion of the box, patched over it and added a “nice” decorative decal to cover, that will give you about another 1/8", which is a big deal
I’ve run into that problem with the box sticking almost 1/8" proud of the bottom. I just took a belt sander and ground down the box to size and installed it with no compromise on integrity.
You can sand a little bit off the bottom side of the box and take the rest down after installation. Route carefully and you can go almost to the deck glass and use white pigmented resin for your installation.
I've taken as much as 1/4" down on the top side after installation. After a 'through the box' leash loop attachment is placed, the fin won't be going back all the way anyhow. Worst case you'll maybe have the screw tab sitting a little high above the box.
Glass on? :-)
- glass it on
@ inventing the wheel
we have the engineered fins unlimited box
two piece molded assemblage
the bottom could easily be replaced with fiber glass
and resin or epoxy =increased strength and bond concerns
same as J.G.'s recomendation …
In an old clark foam newsletter on fin box integrity
the last gasp went to connecting to the deck to optimise
strength…
the fin box solution is primarily for travel
and then adjustment when uncertain about placement.
removing a glassed on fin is not that hard
to reposition it.
the design of surfboards
is ultimately limited by things like finboxes
requiring thicness in tails minimums.
flex. tail twist . and other design considerations
are indeed stifled by accepted limits…
greenough let there be a large lump
on the deck to accomodate a fin box
allowance in one of his dragster sailboard renditions…
lumps on decks have become mainstream
as in deck pads…?
…ambrose
free your mind
reality will follow…
OK. Lots of good ideas. Some of them genius. Some poetic. Let me see what I can do and I will post a pic.
Many thanks.
Johns comments caused me to remember something I didn't mention. On a longboard with a thin tail and the possibility that the box might show thru the deck; Always use a White box and white pigmented filler or resin for your install of the box. Less likly to be noticed from the deck.
On the first edition Surfboards Hawaii Noseriders, the deck concaves run along the rail., but bump up in the center between the twin stringers, it was so the route would make it
Jim --------All interesting comments. That's sort of like some of the early shortboards I use to see coming out of the Mory/Pope shop in Ventura with the off-set fin box. It looked cool and was supposed to be functional for right hand point breaks, but the truth was that nobody really wanted to rout those stringers. Same idea behind the Y stringer set up. Lot easier to route foam. Aside from all that. I love thin tails, but hate the cosmetics of a finbox routed thru the deck. I learned to thin my tails down within a fraction of one inch thru the box and then really thin it out behind the box. That's thin enough.
The offset box was also a feature seen on Yater boards for a while, until he decided it was OK to rout into the stringer.
Ha! Yeah I forgot about that. I think they thought the tail would break off or something like that.
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I think they thought the tail would break off or something like that.
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Exactly!
Jim ---You are absolutly right about capping the box. As you said keep the resin drips out, which is easy to do with an O'Fishl box. I prefer Larry's(Fibreglass Fin Co.) boxes when I can get them. Less grinding than Bahne or O'Fishl Although one has to be extremly careful with the tape-off and drips. Other than capping a couple of "woodies" down each side of the box will also help prevent cracking at the front. Install the woodies and cap-------Wa-La! 'bought as strong as it's gonna get. The extra weight will help those 98 lb. weaklings sink the tail .
We have Fusions and Future boxes touching the deck all the time - gives a very solid, connected feel to the fin. The deck skin needs to be very strong, though; foot pressure will crack your average PU with 4oz.
Future also has a new big single box that should be great on longboards, etc. Not sure on the depth, but the pre-glass install makes a lot more sense than doing the extra (but necessary) step of capping.